U.S. Open Preview

I hate to say it*, but this U.S. Open is Phil Mickelson's to lose. He'll never have a better chance to beat Tiger Woods, who's operating with one bad wheel and is bound to be a bit rusty after two months away from competitive golf. And for the first two rounds, he'll be playing head-to-head with Tiger in the same group. If he's ever going to stand up and stare into the eyes of Tiger and beat him, this is as good a chance as he's going to get. Although Phil has won three majors, he has yet to shake the label of being a choker in big tournaments. He has finished second in the US Open four times, and twice he double-bogeyed late to lose the Open (2004 and 2006). This is his chance to finally shed that label and bring home the hardware and and $1+ million winner's check.

TRIVIA: Not only have the last four winners of the U.S. Open have been foreigners (Goosen, Campbell, Ogilvy, Cabrera), but they are all from the southern hemisphere. I have no idea what that signifies.

NOTE: To review my "Masters Lookalikes" post from a couple months ago, click here.

* If you think this is an attempt at a "reverse jinx" in an effort to provide karma for Tiger to win, you are correct. I'd love to see Tiger win. The first five words of this post are not true. I do not hate to say it. When I say it's his to lose, that's exactly what I expect Phil to do - lose.